Photo Credit Lewis Evans
Inhaler return after the success of their debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This in 2021 with the beautiful Cuts & Bruises. The 2nd album from the band, teasing the fans with the last three singles from it “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart, Love Will Get You There and the Summer Anthem from last year These Are The Day”.
The album is powerful, a new mature side to the band that has made them blossom, a more personal album as you will hear from the first listen. Opening with the excellent Just To Keep You Satisfied feature’s a synth opening drawing you in to the song before the husky vocals from Elijah Hewson grips you with lyric’s “angels falling by your side” and “love will get you there”, it is a real gem to open the album with. Beautiful song So Far So Good has a nice catchy chorus, a big and powerful set for the bigger stage, real foot tapping tunes capturing you from the first listen.
The epic These Are The Days will have you on your feet dancing, bouncing along, singing the chorus at full voice, It’s a song that make you smile on a sad dull day, followed by the beautiful If You’re Gonna Break My Heart the last of the previous singles from the album. The Perfect Storm, with beautiful harmonies and the tapping of the snare and stumming of the guitar with Elijah’s vocals is the perfect balance and mix with lyrics “there is something that you say that changed the tide”, “lying in the wake of your perfect storm”, passionate and moving music and excellent lyrics.
Next up, a song that has been around for a number of years and a fans favourite Dublin in Ecstasy, really pleased this made the album as it is a great song both lyrically and musically, It shows the talents of the band way back when it was first written. Stand out song from the album, When I Have Her On My Mind, great intro before the passion in the vocals captures you taking you on a wonderful journey through a musical love story, leaving everything to your imagination with the musical masterpiece. The epic Valentine, tingling guitars and distant vocals creates an amazing build up to the open lyrics “I got a bone to pick with you”, Valentine, another one of the songs that stands out from the rest, a beautiful rock composition.
The passionate song “The Thing I Do” lets the band experiment vocally and the composition of the song. The final song brings you full circle with a powerful song and lyrics “Now You Got Me” perfect end to an awesome album with great hooks, powerful lyrics, foot tapping material from the first listen, staying in your head, leaving you wanting more.
This is a beautiful powerful album that will captivate you from the first song, well-structured album showing the power of Inhaler’s strength in their music and lyrics. This must be a contender for album of the year, excellent second album from Dublin’s finest Inhaler.
INHALER embark on a run of sold-out UK dates this month before heading to the US for a month-long headline tour. Following that, they join Arctic Monkeys on their European tour ahead of playing their biggest UK headline shows to date at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse (May 19th) and London’s Brixton Academy (May 20th).
Summer will see INHALER support Harry Styles at Slane Castle and Sam Fender at St James Park as well as performing at TRNSMT and Reading & Leeds festival.
The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon
Cuts & Bruises released on the 17th February 2023
Album Review by James Edmond
